VisitBritain launches legendary tourism campaign in run-up to King Arthur: Legend of the Sword film release

In the run-up to the release of the action adventure film King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, in cinemas this May from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, VisitBritain has today launched an international film tourism campaign to showcase why Britain is a legendary tourist destination.

The six-week ‘Where Stories Become Legends’ digital campaign, a non-commercial partnership between VisitBritain and Warner Bros. Pictures, inspires people to book a King Arthur-themed holiday to Britain using #OMGBLegends (Oh My Great Britain ‘Home of Legendary Moments’).

The campaign features an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of writer/director/producer Guy Ritchie, writer/producer Lionel Wigram, and the film’s stars Charlie Hunnam and Jude Law, on location talking about the epic British landscapes used in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and the emotions they inspire.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was filmed at Windsor Great Park and the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley in England, Snowdonia in Wales and Isle of Skye and the Highlands in Scotland.

VisitBritain Director of Marketing Clare Mullin said:

“From watching the sunset from the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye to walking in King Arthur’s footsteps in majestic Snowdonia to retracing his story at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, Britain’s epic scenery, ancient history and magical landscapes have the power to transform our holiday experiences into the stuff of legends.

“Our collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures on King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a fantastic opportunity to showcase to a global audience of millions the legendary experiences only available in Britain, inspiring people to book a trip right now to discover their own epic stories.”

‘Where Stories become Legends’ kicks off with a six-week digital advertising campaign in Australia, France, Germany and the US, Britain’s four largest and most valuable inbound markets. The media campaign promotes #OMGBLegends content online across Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat including VisitBritain’s first Snapchat lens – inspired by the film.

The campaign drives online ‘traffic’ to a VisitBritain King Arthur: Legend of the Sword site on visitbritain.com, filled with information on British locations from the film and King Arthur-inspired holiday experiences, available in 13 languages.

Visitors to the site can play a ‘Legend Generator’ game to unlock their own ‘kingdom’ and discover which epic British location they are destined to rule. Fans can also enter a global competition to win a legendary road trip in Britain.

VisitBritain has been promoting Britain to the world through film for more than a decade, most recently as part of the UK Government’s GREAT Britain campaign.

Films and TV are powerful motivators for travel with VisitBritain’s research showing that more than a third of all potential visitors to Britain want to visit places they have seen on screen.

Last year was a record-breaker for inbound tourism to the UK with 37.3 million visits, up 3.4% on 2015, with visitors spending £22.2 billion, matching 2015’s record spend.

VisitBritain’s forecast shows that this growth is set to continue with 38.8 million visits this year, while spending by overseas visitors is predicted to reach £23.9 billion.

Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK economy.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Britain offers a wealth of opportunity for a King Arthur-inspired adventure, taking in ancient historic sites with claims to both the real-life legend and the dramatic locations that formed the backdrop for the film.

In Cumbria lies the rumoured site of King Arthur’s Round Table, a Neolithic earthwork henge, dating from about 2000 BC, but much later believed to be King Arthur's jousting arena. Legend has it that Cumbria’s capital Carlisle was King Arthur’s Camelot (his headquarters), where Arthur and his adviser Merlin would have made use of the Roman fortifications.

From Carlisle, take a trip to nearby Hadrian’s Wall and visit Birdoswald Roman Fort which is thought to be where Arthur’s final Battle of Camlann was fought. For a true taste of the battlefield, visit between April and September 2017 to see the brand new wall-wide exhibition of Roman Cavalry.

The Great Hall of Winchester in Hampshire is, according to legend, home to the actual round table around which King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table met.

Head to the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley to see locations where sequences in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword were captured, including King Arthur’s cave, filmed at the prehistoric cave standing in the shadow of Great Doward.

The iconic Windsor Great Park also features in the film. No stranger to film crews, the park has formed a backdrop for films including the Harry Potter film series, Snow White and the Huntsman and World War Z.

The Quiraing walking track on the Isle of Skye in Scotland is another stunning filming location in the new movie.

In Edinburgh, visitors can walk up Arthur’s Seat overlooking the historic city stand where King Arthur and his knights may have once stood.

In Wales two lakes, Llyn Llydaw and Llyn Ogwen, claim to be the watery resting place of Arthur’s sword, which was so powerful it had a name - ‘Excalibur’ in English and ‘Caledfwlch’ in Welsh. Both are in the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, and while Llydaw is inaccessible, Llyn Ogwen is popular with walkers.

Head to the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, and pay homage to the warrior at Bedd Arthur, a set of standing stones said to mark Arthur’s final resting place.

About the Film:

Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to the epic fantasy action adventure King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Starring Charlie Hunnam in the title role, the film is an iconoclastic take on the classic Excalibur myth, tracing Arthur’s journey from the streets to the throne. When the child Arthur’s father is murdered, Vortigern (Jude Law), Arthur’s uncle, seizes the crown. Robbed of his birthright and with no idea who he truly is, Arthur comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, his life is turned upside down and he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy…whether he likes it or not. In addition to Hunnam and Law, the film also stars Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, and Eric Bana.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is directed by Ritchie from a screenplay is by Joby Harold and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, story by David Dobkin and Joby Harold. The film is produced by Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Steve Clark-Hall, Guy Ritchie and Lionel Wigram. David Dobkin and Bruce Berman are executive producers. Slated for release worldwide beginning May 12, 2017, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.